My beloved spiritual children in Christ Our Only True God and Our Only True Savior,
CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND SHALL ALWAYS BE.
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DIVINE GRACE (ΘΕΙΑ ΧΑΡΙΣ)
The word "Grace" ("Χάρις") is used in Sacred Scripture with various meanings.
Sometimes it signifies, in general, the mercy of God; God is the God "of all Grace" (I Peter 5:10). In this, its broadest meaning, Grace is God's goodwill to men of worthy life in all ages of humanity, and particularly to the righteous ones of the Old Testament like Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, the Prophet Moses, and the later Prophets.
In the more precise meaning, the concept of Grace refers to the New Testament. Here in the New Testament, we distinguish two fundamental meanings of this concept. First, by the Grace of God, the Grace of Christ is to be understood the whole economy of our salvation, performed by the coming of the Son of God to earth, by His earthly life, His death on the Cross, His Resurrection, and His Ascension into heaven: "For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9). Secondly, Grace is the name applied to the gifts of the Holy Spirit which have been sent down and are being sent down to the Church of Christ for the sanctification of its members, for their spiritual growth, and for the attainment of the Kingdom of Heaven.
In this second New Testament meaning of the word, Grace is a power sent down from on high, the power of God which is in the Church of Christ, which gives birth, gives life, and brings the believing and virtuous Christian to the appropriation of the salvation which has been brought by the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Holy Apostles, therefore, in their writings often used the Greek word Charis, "Grace," as identical with the word Dynamis, "Power." The term "Grace" in the sense of "Power" given from above for holy life is found in many places of the Apostolic Epistles (II Peter 1:3; Romans 5:2; Romans 16:20; I Peter 5:12; II Peter 3:18, II Timothy 2:1; I Corinthians 16:23, II Corinthians 13:14; Galatians 6:18; Ephesians 6:24, and other places). The Holy Apostle Peter writes: The Lord "said unto me, My Grace is sufficient for thee; for my strength is made perfect in weakness" (II Corinthians 12:9).
The distinction between these two meanings of the word "Grace," and the predominant understanding of it in the Sacred Scripture of the New Testament as a Divine power, are important to keep in mind because in Protestantism a teaching has becoming established about Grace only in its general significance of the great work of our redemption from sin through the Savior's exploit on the Cross, after which--as the Protestants think--a man who has come to believe and has received the remission of sins is already among the saved. However, the Holy Apostles teach us that a Christian, having justification as a gift in accordance with the general grace of redemption, is in this life as an individual only "being saved" (I Corinthians 1:18), and needs the support of Grace-given powers. "We have access by faith into this Grace wherein we stand" (Romans 5:2); "we are saved by hope" (Romans 8:24).
How, then, does the saving Grace of God act?
Both the spiritual birth and the further spiritual growth of a man occur through the mutual action of two principles. One of these is the grace of the Holy Spirit; the other, man's opening of his heart for the reception of it, a thirst for it, the desire to receive it, as the thirsty, dry earth receives the moisture of rain--in other words, personal effort for the reception, preservation, and activity in the soul of the Divine gifts.
Concerning this cooperation of these two principles, the Holy Apostle Peter says: "According as His Divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness...(do you) giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins" (II Peter 1:3-9). We read concerning the same thing in the Holy Apostle Paul: "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling: for it is God who worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure" (Phil. 2:12-13); that is, you yourselves cooperate, but remember that everything is given you by the Grace of God. "Except the Lord build the house of virtues, we labor in vain" (Hymn of Degrees of Sunday Matins, Tone 3; cf. Psalm 126:1:1). (Source: Orthodox Dogmatic Theology by Protopresbyter Michael Pomazansky)
(To be continued)
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"Glory Be To GOD For All Things!" - Saint John Chrysostomos
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With sincere agape in His Holy Diakonia (Ministry),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
+Father George